The Kyou Puzzle
by kirayasha aka kira
Summary: Gift!Fic for our friend, vexed's bday. Everyone wonders what Kyou does up on the roof by himself...


The Kyou Puzzle

By Jen, Kat and kira

_Happy Bday, Vexed! *huggles*_

Kyou entered Shigure's house, kicked off his shoes in the genkan and ran upstairs to his room. There he dropped his backpack on his bed, before quickly changing out of his school uniform. He grabbed his latest book of Sudoku puzzles and headed outside to his favorite haunt; the house's roof. As soon as he made himself comfortable on the roof, Kyou laid back and watched the clouds drift by. Things had not gone his way at school, Tohru's friends, Uotani was her usual pain in the ass self and Hanajima was creepier than ever, and on that math test he had studied all week for, he had only got a seventy five, while that damned rat, who never seemed to open a book, got a hundred_. Life could be so unfair at times…_He sighed.

Feeling better, now that the clouds had worked their special magic the way Tohru always insisted they would, Kyou pulled his Sudoku book out from under his hoodie. He thumbed through the book, looking for the first puzzle he hadn't completed. Finding it, Kyou took out a pencil and began trying to solve it, unaware of his older cousin's presence below.

Shigure, who had been at a meeting with his editor, walked up to his house in time to see Kyou settled down on the roof. What the cat did up there had been the subject of secret speculation ever since Hatori had noticed him up there, the last time he brought Akito over for a visit. The dog grinned at the memory. While Akito claimed she didn't care what he did up there, Shigure had to laugh when she listened very intently to his smutty description of Kyou jerking off up there, while giving off an air of complete boredom. Hatori of course, told him not to be so crass, but Shigure knew Akito could be just as perverted as he was when the mood hit her and he had no doubt that she had started the whole secret speculation amongst the family as to what Kyou liked to do up on the rooftop, now that his days of freedom were numbered. Thoughts of bedding Akito dancing in his head, the dog entered his home, the cat forgotten in favor of better things, like turning his fantasies into another romance novel.

Tohru came into the house, humming a soft little tune, as she kicked her shoes off and hustled upstairs to change out of her school clothes and prepare to start dinner. As she went by the open door of Kyou's room she could see his school bag lying where he had tossed it on his bed. _So, Kyou-kun is home already, he probably went straight up onto the roof… I wonder what he does up there... It must be peaceful, looking at the clouds pass over the house, and warm with the sun shining on him, but maybe lonely too, maybe I should cook some cod or salmon for dinner tonight for him…_she thought as she returned downstairs, and began puttering around the kitchen.

Yuki came home to sounds of Tohru in the kitchen. Curious as to what they would be having for dinner, he went to the kitchen. "Honda-san?"

Tohru turned in surprise and knocked a row of dishes off the counter in the process. She had been lost in thought as to what Kyou-kun was up to on the roof and had not noticed his approach. Luckily nothing was broken. Tohru went to clean it up in a hurried panic. "Welcome home, Yuki-kun. I'm so sorry I'm such a klutz."

Yuki bent down to help her. "Don't worry, Honda-san. What were you thinking about so hard?"

Tohru contemplated whether or not her wondering about what Kyou-kun did on the roof would upset Yuki-kun. She almost told him it was nothing important but she was curious if Yuki-kun wondered about it too. "I was wondering what Kyou-kun did up on the roof all day. Don't you wonder about it too, Yuki-kun?"

"Why bother? The stupid cat is probably up there sulking again until his next pointless attempt at attacking me," that's what Yuki said, but in reality he thought that Kyou probably spent his time on the roof meditating as part of his constant training.

Tohru was about to say something when she was interrupted by Ayame. He had shown up to share some news with Shigure and check on his dear Yuki. He had also decided that since he had come all this way he should stay for dinner. "As if he would be able to defeat you dear little brother, I bet he spends his time up there with frustration gnawing at his guts, totally beside himself, knowing he can never best Yuki in battle. Why he probably sits up there on the edge of insanity until the breeze blowing in across the woods brings the fresh woodland scent to his nostrils and he slowly calms himself and drifts off into a catlike sleep, basking in the sunlight, partaking in a real catnap."

Yuki and Tohru stared dumbly at Ayame. Tohru in real astonishment, as it was an option she had never really considered, Kyou-kun taking a catnap. And Yuki in frustration, which was turning into blind rage over his eternally irritating older brother's long winded fantasies. Ignoring Ayame, Yuki turned to Tohru and said softly, "I'm sorry, Honda-san, I can't help with dinner, I have a test tomorrow I need to study for."

"That's okay, Yuki-kun," Tohru reassured him, "I've got it all under control. Salmon teriyaki is very easy to make." She smiled at him.

"Aaah… young love is in the air!" Ayame began as he beamed at his brother, who trying to get around him and head upstairs to his room to study. Ayame was about to spout more poetic nonsense when Shigure came over to see what all the commotion was. "Gure-san!" he trilled, Yuki forgotten in his desire to tell his cousin some delicious piece of family gossip. As they made their way over to Shigure's study, everyone could hear Ayame loudly proclaiming, "Oh, did you hear? Little Ritsu came to my shop the other day; I had to nearly physically restrainMine from dragging the poor boy off to play dress up with him. Ritsu, of course, was totally mortified then he thought he had somehow offended me or Mine or something, I'm not sure what, but I had to finally use that finger in the ribs trick to subdue him, before he completely tore up my shop with his antics, it really works too, can't tell you how glad I was you taught me that trick. I will get it out of you how you discovered it in the first place, one of these days too, you sly dog, mark my words…"

Yuki, seizing on his reprieve with both hands, nodded at Tohru, before slipping out of the kitchen to go study. He hurried up the stairs in an effort to be out of sight and mind, before Ayame decided he needed to do some more brotherly bonding.

Tohru sighed softly and set to work filling the rice cooker with enough rice to feed everyone, including Ayame in case he decided to stay for dinner. She also decided to make Yuki's favorite vegetable to go with the meal. While everything was cooking, Tohru put a load of laundry into the washer. As she put Kyou's school uniform in the washer, her thoughts strayed to cat and what he was doing up on the roof.

Kyou, meanwhile, was feeling a great sense of accomplishment. He had managed to do several difficult puzzles in record time as well as finish his outline for his essay in English class, the scrap of paper, he found in puzzle book, coming in handy. All he needed to do after dinner was copy them over into his notebook. Speaking of dinner, his stomach growled. Hungry, he stuffed his puzzle book inside his hoodie pocket and left his perch on the roof. Kyou went inside to see how long it was until dinner was served.

He found Tohru, puttering around the kitchen like a domestic goddess, and thought she looked pretty in her frilly apron. "Tohru, what's for dinner?"

She turned at the sound of his voice and stared blankly at him for several minutes because he seemed to materialize out of nowhere in response to her thoughts.

"Tohru…?"

Blushing prettily as if he knew she was thinking about him, Tohru smiled.

"What?" Kyou frowned.

"Oh nothing…" She waved him away, before getting frazzled in typical Tohru-fashion. "I mean I'm making salmon teriyaki for dinner with rice and some daikon radish on the side. I also have some miso soup to go with it…" she rambled on.

Kyou smiled, thinking she was not only cute, but thoughtful. "Sounds good."

"Thanks…" Tohru smiled. _Who cares what he does up there as long as he comes down…_


End file.
